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Issue 12 - September 2003 Team tips by Susan Hoy Most people perceive that price equals quality. For example, if you were gathering bids for a home renovation, you wouldn’t choose the least expensive contractor, because you would get what you paid for — either in poor quality of workmanship or materials. Why, then, would you want to charge the lowest among chiropractors in your community? Consider the following story: Dr. Smith owned a small chiropractic office and kept his fees low in order to be competitive. He did attract patients looking for low-end fees. But even with low fees, he still received many complaints about the cost of his services. While evaluating the fees of other chiropractic offices in his area, he decided to raise his fees and at the same time upgraded his services to include some special “touches” that specifically catered to the feelings of his patients. Additionally, he improved the atmosphere in his office and updated his technology. He also hired another staff member. He began noticing that the patients who dropped out were the complainers. Slowly his practice filled up again with patients who valued their health and appreciated the extraordinary service they were receiving. Be wary of the idea that, “I don’t want to charge more so that people of limited means can’t afford me.” Charge enough that so that you can afford, if you choose, to subsidize those of limited means. Here are some tips in setting fees: • Believe in yourself and your service! Confidence is absolutely necessary to attract patients. Both you and your staff must passionately believe in the products and services offered in your clinic. • Value what you do. If you, or your staff, do not value chiropractic care, then you will not feel confident charging and collecting for the products and services you offer. Chiropractic saves lives and is worth your fees. But, you will experience a collections problem if one of your staff members perceives your fees to be “too high.” Make sure you educate your staff so that they understand the value of chiropractic care.• Charge for what you do. If a service is worth giving, it is worth charging for. Patients expect to pay for the services they receive. If you do not charge for your care, the perception will be that it is worth nothing. • Don’t be afraid to raise your fees. Re-evaluate and adjust your fees periodically. Most of your patients understand cost-of-living and cost-of-doing business. Everyone appreciates getting raises in pay and your staff members are no exception. Explain to your patients that you are making an effort to keep your fees as low as possible and still be able to give quality care. • Special touches. Include some special touches that make the patient feel good. Many of the touches you include cost very little but create the perception of quality. If you observe your life very closely, you will discover that you don’t necessarily get what you deserve. Rather, you get no more and no less than what you believe you deserve. Believe in yourself and others will also. Susan Hoy is an award-winning team trainer and consultant. She can be reached at 215-674-0130; suzzhoy@aol.com; or through her Web site at www.beefitupnet. |
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